Education & Classes in Oshkosh

In 1947, on New York City's Park Avenue, the first Fred Astaire Dance Studio—cofounded by the eponymous toe tapper himself—opened its doors to the public. More than six decades later, now boasting schools across North America, the dancing institution still adheres to the legendary Mr. Astaire's curriculum and instruction techniques.

Specializing in social ballroom and competitive dances, the schools' current consortium of professional instructors shepherds students of all ages and skill levels through dance lessons that span from classic ballroom and foxtrot romps to the modern steps of salsa, swing, or mambo. In addition to classes, the studio hosts social practice parties where up to 40 students hone newly acquired rug-cutting capabilities. As foot-charming music blares from the speakers, instructors work to cultivate a lively social setting where each guest can dance, mingle, and surgically correct their second left foot without fear of embarrassment.

Steve Shapson has always taken a do-it-yourself approach to his food, having cultivated wild mushrooms and started his own home-brewing store. One day, a customer entered this brewing facility in search of a thermometer, and Steve quickly discovered the man had something other than brewing in mind. As the customer explained his newfound passion for amateur cheese making, Steve enthusiastically dove into the concept, inviting the fellow foodie to his store to help him discover the process. Since then, he's become The Cheesemaker, striving to pass on hard-earned knowledge that he maintains can't be found in conventional cheese-making guidebooks.

Steve teaches techniques for making hard and soft cheeses, butter, yogurt, and kefir in onsite workshops that last either just a few hours or a full weekend. During hands-on workshops, he explains both proper and improper techniques, often citing mistakes he's made in the past as examples and telling cautionary tales about arranging rival cheeses next to each other on a serving platter. To supply his workshops and fill out his take-home cheese-making kits, Steve gathers a range of cultures and inoculants necessary for developing different cheeses, as well as basic-to-advanced gear such as curd knives, strainers, and warming vats.

The certified teachers at TC Dance Club International recognize that people dance for all kinds of reasons; accordingly, they structure different programs to meet the needs of everyone from casual dancers hoping to light up the dance floor at an upcoming party to perfectionists in the pursuit of lifelong grace. Their lessons incorporate a multitude of styles, including tango, merengue, foxtrot, and rain dances. On Friday nights, students can practice what they’ve learned in dance parties, which are set to premade mixes in a room with dimmed lights and an open bar.

Globally Preferred Academy trains cadres of young cosmeticians to enhance brows, eyes, and lips with permanent pigmentation. Their licensed technicians first consult with clients hoping for claret-red lips and dramatic winks, then deftly embellish faces during appointments that last 1.5–2 hours. Globally Preferred Academy’s staff also combats wrinkles and blemishes with dermal rolling and skin needling, both treatments that aim to promote collagen production, and their synthetic extensions elongate lashes in a variety of colors.

Nationally exhibited mixed-media artists Willo Sernovitz and Debra Ember Cheney man the artistic fires at SoulShine Arts. Inside their studio, they sculpt colorful molten glass into lighting, jewelry, and vases—sold in an attached gallery and retail space—and teach students of all skill levels to do the same during glassblowing classes. When not shaping glass, they blend natural materials and primitive techniques to craft metal artwork, functional knives, and tools. Willo and Debra also rent out space in their fully equipped glass-art studio to experienced artists and baby sunbeams learning how to glint.